By Chloe Sotomayor

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, some West Virginia colleges decided to open campuses for new and returning students starting as early as the beginning of August. Universities are taking precautions this semester to ensure the safety of students as they return to school. 

All colleges required students to be tested for COVID before arriving on campus, and some even offered on-campus testing to ensure results from every student. Every West Virginia college had a specific dorm facility available for those diagnosed with COVID, or offered alternative learning options for those students that had to return back home. 

Move-in dates for students were pushed back, and changed to appointment-only scheduling. Restrictions for family were also placed in order to avoid as much contact as possible. Scheduled dates were spread throughout the month of August to prevent having an abundance of traffic through dorm buildings.

Masks are required across campuses, with exceptions of being in dorm rooms with roommates. Social distancing measures were put in place, with only allowing students to congregate in groups of 10. Many on-campus buildings such as student centers and libraries are also placing maximum occupancy limits. 

The few campuses that are holding in-person lectures are reducing class size and following social distancing rules with seating students six feet apart and requiring masks. Many colleges across West Virginia are strictly limiting classes to virtual learning, resorting to lectures through online teaching and asynchronous learning. 

Colleges are restricting parties on campus because of the lack of social distancing and have created repercussions if said rules are violated. 

Since returning to campus, some larger campuses have had higher outbreaks of COVID-19 due to lack of following protocol, but the college has taken the right safety precautions to lessen the number of cases. By advising students to isolate due to possible interaction with COVID-19 through contact tracing combined with a prolonged period of online-only courses, the number of cases on campus significantly decreased.